Colleges

Creationism Controversy

Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Va., is appealing a decision
by a national association to deny it accreditation based on the
school's mandate that faculty members adhere to creationism in their
teaching and classroom curriculum.

The small, Christian college—which specializes in serving
students who were home-schooled—was denied accreditation by the
American Academy for Liberal Education. The Washington-based group,
which offers voluntary evaluations of liberal arts colleges, informed
the college of its decision in an April 30 letter.

The academy cited the college's "Statement of Biblical Worldview,"
which says that any courses in biology, the Bible, or other subjects
will teach creationism, the belief that God created the world in six,
24-hour days, as stated in the book of Genesis. Evolution, on the other
hand, "will not be treated as an acceptable theory," the statement
says.

Jeffrey D. Wallin, the academy's president, declined to comment in
detail on the case because of the school's May 8 decision to appeal.
Between two and five colleges a year typically apply for accreditation
through the academy, he said.

Seeking Students

More than 325 colleges and universities responding to a recent
annual survey said they still had spaces available for the fall 2002
semester, according to the National Association for College Admission
Counseling.

The association, based in Alexandria, Va., sent inquiries to about
1,500 institutions to make information on remaining slots available to
high school seniors and counselors, said David Hawkins, the group's
public policy director.

The number of open slots was not surprising, Mr. Hawkins said; the
vacancies were about the same as in previous years. Some schools may
not have offered admission to enough students, he said. In other cases,
students may simply not have gained acceptance to the schools they
targeted, he added.

"When you look at the list and you see Smith College, DePaul
[University], and George Mason [University], ... you have a wide range
of schools," he said.